It was only at the hospital when sitting by his father's bedside that Damon's mind ceased from all thoughts that normally weighted him down.

Being there always calmed him.

It was his father's presence that had that soothing effect on him, it always did because when Giuseppe was there things got handled. Work got done and their family thrived.

But when he was not, that was when things fell apart.

It constantly plagued Damon that he would not be able to fill his father's shoes. That he was a poor substitute for the real McCoy and that soon everyone would know that he wasn't so smart after all.

That all of that education and grooming that his father poured into him over the years had been for nothing.

He felt like a fraud, masquerading like he knew what he was doing when really all he was doing was acting on instinct.

If it felt right to him then he did it, otherwise he pulled back.

And so far, it was working for him. But really, how long would that last before he fucked up and made the wrong move?

Everything was at stake. The future of the company. His family's livelihood. And it was all on him now, and Damon wasn't ready.

He was only twenty-four.

It was suppose to be years before all of this responsibility was placed at his feet.

Who decided to speed things up?

Because it wasn't fair.

Giuseppe had a good twenty years left in him and then he was supposed to retire and spend his days playing golf and smoking cigars at the country club with his cronies while talking shit and flirting with pretty women.

That was how it was supposed to be. Not this. With his father laying up in a hospital bed fighting to live.

None on this was supposed to be happening.

"Mr. Salvatore."

Being pulled from his thoughts, Damon straightened his position in the uncomfortable chair, immediately feeling the sore muscles in his back, having been sitting for so long.

"It's time for your father's physical therapy."

Damon nodded his head in response, standing to his feet to leave.

Physical therapy was part of his father's treatment to prevent long term muscle damage.

He walked over to the bed. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay."

Leaning down, he kissed his father's bandaged head. "Keep fighting to come back to us. We need you, dad...I need you."

The therapist standing there tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth, her heart melting at the scene.

Damon Salvatore was having quite the effect on the women staff at the hospital. He was all that they talked about. A few of them actually low-key flirting with him, but it was a waste of time because Damon's mind was always on his father when he was therel, so he didn't even notice their efforts.

"Take good care of him." Damon said to the therapist.

"I will, Mr Salvatore. Your father's in good hands."

Nodding his head once again, he left.

Walking out of the ICU, Damon made his way to the elevators and like clockwork once he was away from his father's side his mind started to rev back up again and all he could do was think about everything that needed to be done.

He was a few feet from the elevators when he spotted Bonnie standing in the long hallway speaking to a doctor. It was so unexpected seeing her there that he stopped moving in mid-step.

Damon hadn't seen her since that night at the diner when she walked away from him.

And who could blame her.

His behavior had been deplorable. The things he said to her. The offer he made. It was all just wrong.

What was he thinking?

And the answer to that was, he wasn't thinking at all. At least not with the head sitting between his shoulders.

Damon could literally have any woman that he wanted. He never had a problem in that area.

But he did it because he thought Bonnie would jump at the opportunity. What girl in her position wouldn't? At least that had been his thinking.

But he was proven wrong.

Thinking Bonnie was something that she was not just because she was a stripper.

That was what she did for a living. It wasn't who she was as a person. He misjudged her.

What was that saying about hindsight being twenty-twenty?

Bonnie was nineteen years old and she was providing for her family. Basically doing what he was trying to do for his family.

And that was something to admire, not condemn.

Maybe it was a good thing, her walking away from him because he was self-destructive.

And it looked like Bonnie Bennett had enough on her plate. She didn't need anymore.

He watched her for a few seconds more before going to the elevator and pressing the down button.

"Ms. Bennett, your sister overdosed. We found traces of crack cocaine and heroine in her system."

Bonnie had been listening intently to every word the doctor said, but that last part through her for a loop.

"Wait a minute, heroine?" Bonnie asked frowning.

The doctor nodded his head.

"But Felicia doesn't do heroine. I mean she hates needles. There must be some mistake. I know my sister. The crack yes...but not heroine."

"There was no mistake Ms. Bennett. The paramedics at the scene had to administer a Narcan injection to your sister, otherwise she would have died."

"What?" Bonnie gasped, covering her mouth. No one told her that.

Bonnie's eyes welled up with tears and slowly slide down her face.

The doctor placed a comforting hand on her slender shoulder.

"Look, she's going to be okay, but you need to get her in some type of drug treatment program or this will happen again...and next time she may not be so lucky."

Bonnie nodded her head, wiping away the tears.

"If you want I can recommend a few treatment programs and some of them are government funded."

"Yes, thank you. I would appreciate that very much."

The doctor nodded his head.

When he left, Bonnie took a deep breath releasing it. Calming herself before she called her mother.

She would not tell her about the heroine. There was only so much that her mother could take and she would spare her this.

As Bonnie was walking out of the hospital, she saw Dino getting out of his red Mercedes.

He was Tristan's father as well as the man responsible for Felicia's drug use, having been the one to introduce her to that world.

And when her sister lost her looks, no longer that pretty girl she once was, the drug dealer dumped her.

Bonnie knew better than to confront Dino, but at the moment she didn't care because Felicia almost died and it was all his fault!

She actually pushed him when she got close enough. "Stay the fuck away from my sister, you are not wanted here!"

Dino laughed at her feisty display, licking his lips.

He always thought Bonnie was a pretty little thing. The dark skinned man even tried to get with her a few times and she always shot him down.

Bonnie hated his guts.

"I'm sure your sister will be happy to see me...she loves me."

"Well she's a fucking idiot, no thanks to you. You're the reason why she's here in the first place. My sister was fine before she met you and you ruined her, you bastard...and I hope that one day somebody finally puts a fucking bullet in your skull and put you out of your fucking misery!" She spat.

Dino leaned down, getting into her face. "Oh yeah, and whose going to put you out of your misery, huh Bonnie? Jody's been dead what, three years now and you still haven't had another nigga between your legs?"

Bonnie hauled off and slapped his face. "Don't you ever speak his name!"

"Why you little bitch!" Dino's hand instantly moving upward intending to back-slap her.

But the motion was stopped by a very pale hand with an insanely strong grip.

"Didn't your father teach you to never hit a woman?" Damon asked.

"What the fuck, nigga let me go!" Shouted a surprised Dino.

Well that was certainly a first for Damon Salvatore. That was one name he'd never been called before.

"Do you see how small she is and the damage you would have caused had you struck her?" He seethed.

Dino couldn't get over how strong Damon was. He seriously couldn't pry his arm free.

"Look man, she hit me first!"

"I don't fucking care. But you are not to touch her. Do you understand? So get back into your car and driveway before I call the police. I got a feeling that's something you don't need. Am I correct?"

Dino glared at Damon. There was a time and place for everything. And he knew that Atlanta City Police patrolled this hospital.

The white boy was right. He didn't need that.

"Then let me go and I'll be on my way." He said.

Damon let him go and the two men eyed each other with Damon looking like he wasn't going to back down no matter what.

Dino then turned his dark eyes on Bonnie. "You know him?"

She swallowed hard, saying nothing but she gave herself away anyhow.

"Well I'll be damned...you ain't got a nigga between your legs because you're fucking a white boy."

Dino didn't see Damon's fist until it was too late, but by then his face was kissing the ground.

Bonnie gasped. "Oh shit!"

Damon stood over him. "Respect goes a long way in this world. The sooner you learn that, the better."

When Dino saw a tooth lying on the ground, he didn't believe it was his. But then he reached up touching his front teeth and found a gap that wasn't there before and blood marring his fingers. Rage consumed him.

"You're dead motherfucker...you're fucking dead!" He yelled.

Damon ignored the threat, his concerned blue eyes going to Bonnie. "You okay?"

But she was still in shock by what just happened in front of her, so she didn't answer him.

Damon took control of the situation once again. "Come on, let's go." Taking her arm and gently pulling her forward towards his car.

"Where did you come from?" She asked after a moment, her brain finally starting to function properly again.

"My father's here in the ICU. I was about to leave when I saw you and that guy going at it."

"You should have stayed out of it. Dino is dangerous and you just humiliated him. He won't forget that."

"Then let him come for me."

Bonnie stopped walking, yanking her arm free from his grasp. "This is not a game! Where I come from people have died for doing much less! What is wrong with you?!"

"I wasn't going to stand there and let him hit you!"

"But it wasn't your fight! You don't even know me and now you got this crazy asshole gunning for you...and for what, some stupid fantasy that you've built up inside of your mind about me! Well I hate to break it to you Damon Salvatore, but that person who danced for you that night is not me...far from it. So get over it!"

Silence.

"Are you done?" Damon asked, his jaw set.

Bonnie couldn't read him, causing confusion inside of her. She swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Then get in the car."

Surprisingly, she did as he said sliding in and he shut the door.

Damon was quiet as he got inside, starting the engine.

Seconds later they were pulling out of the parking lot into traffic. Damon slowing the Porsche to a complete stop when they got to a red light.

"Thank you." Bonnie said quietly, her green eyes facing forward.

Damon's eyes remained in front of him as well. "That was all you had to say."